About investing, making money & financial freedom

Menu

Wanderlust, why do we travel?

Yesterday morning our alarm clock went off at 5 o’clock. Ridiculously early. But for a good reason. Our plane would depart only a few hours later. Bringing us to the destination where we are spending the next two weeks driving around in the West of the US. And here I am writing this blog post…﻿

We planned our trip at the beginning of this year, because due to a tight study schedule from Mr, Divnomics, we can’t find much time throughout the year to leave the country.

Almost there

On my work I’ve had many coworkers tipping us on what we should be doing in the US. And while I was finishing up the last working tasks, it also reminded me that our last vacation with a duration longer than a week, had been 4 years ago. While we have made some short trips, this one feels really big. Not only because we leave for longer period than normally, but also because of the greater distance. We are currently 8600 km (or 5300 miles) away from our home in The Netherlands.

Lately, it seems like every millenial is traveling to all kinds of far and exotic places, or all over the world at once. I came across an article the other day which told the story of the youngest person to ever visited every country of this earth. He was only 24 when he already had visited all 196 countried. His reason? He just wanted to see more and decided to go everywhere.

And what does this have to do with financial independence?

Well, on our journey to FIRE so far, it has become clear that spending money on material things doesn’t always add more value to our life. But relationships, having a purpose and certain experiences do.

Traveling is such an experience that can truly add value to your life.

And millennials are THE group of people that prefer experiences far more than others, 6 out of 10 would rather spend money on this than on material things. And what better experience than travel?

In todays age, where internet has connected everything and everybody online so easily, it’s no surprise all kinds off wanderlust adventures pop up. ﻿With pictures being shared of far destinations, gourgeous views and adventurous activities on instagram or other social media. It’s no surprise that so many millennials have traveling on the top of their wishlist.

According to Wikipedia, wanderlust is a strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world.

So where does this wanderlust comes from?
There are numerous reason why anyone should or wants to travel. As with finance, these reasons can be very personal. But overall there are some reasons that just keep coming back:

You can indulge in new cultures

Where ever you go, people live according to different customs. Opening up to different cultures and getting to know them can really deepen your understanding about this little world of ours.

It’s the perfect way to meet new
people

It’s very easy to connect to other travelers because you already have something in common: traveling. And locals always know the best places to visit, especially non-tourist places which can be very interesting. Who knows what they can bring you?

We once got into a conversation with a Texan who did a pelgrimidge by foot from France to Portugal. And he found very cheap accommedation with a klooster in Porto (Portugal). So if we would ever travel again there, we know where to stay and save a bit of money on the same time!

Food! It just tastes so good

Ok, there are some things we might not want to try. But in general you can find delicious types of food in every country. The special thing about it? It always tastes the best when it’s authentic. Like a home made Italian pasta made by a local family. So where to eat better than in the land of origin?

There is just so much beauty to be seen

We aren’t the typical world travellers. But we know what’s out there, yet to be discovered. What can be normal for one person could be very special to others, like the tulip fields in the Netherlands, a hectic medina in Marrakech or Sakura blossoms in Japan.

We aim to see, discover and learn yet so much more. We’re in no rush, we still have many years ahead of us.

For the coming weeks we have our first trip on US grounds. Where we expect to experience all kinds of new things. Like enjoying the view over the Grand Canyon, driving through death valley, looking up to immense sequoia trees and visit the coast in San Fransisco.

The activities on this blog might slow down a bit while we’re traveling around.

But we are sharing our vacation via Twitter, just because we believe it would be a hell of an experience. At least, when we have WiFi. So if you didn’t already follow us on Twitter, just click this link.

While browsing through other personal finance blogs, I’ve read many travelstories. Which is a great inspiration of what’s even possible. Like The Dividend Guy who set out to travel around the world in one year with his family, or Justin from Root of Good who has planned a 9 week trip through Europe (and for very little money).

I’d love to travel myself. Same with the wife. We’d love to, and we used to do a lot more of it; but with am 18 month old, we’re feeling a bit weary about it. Even a trip to the nearest grocery store is an ordeal! Hopefully we can start traveling a bit more as he grows older..

We’ve never really traveled that often, but do enjoy discovering new places to go. Hopefully, there will be much more of it in the future. And well, when kids grow up they can make a very good companionship 🙂